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Swan Review
You can't really understand...
A Soft-Reader
Sad Story
Sometimes there are no answers

Calling the Swan
Jean Thesman
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0142300357

Book Description

Since the unspeakable thing happened to their family three years ago, Skylar Deacon's parents have hated to let her out of their sight. Now she's going to summer school, and it's a struggle to leave each morning. Skylar's older sister offers her support, but Skylar is the one who has to brave the bus, the school, the strangers . . . and the truth about what made the Deacon family outcasts. Does she have the strength to stop looking back and face the future?

"Thesman handles the characters with sympathy and understanding. [Readers] will be carried through the book by the lure of their unresolved secrets . . . This is a very fine book." (School Library Journal, starred review)

Customer Reviews:

Swan Review.......2005-02-22

Skylar Deacon, the main character in "Calling the Swan", is an interesting individual. Skylar is a fifteen year old girl living in Seattle who is taking a summer school English class. She is afraid of almost everything, because of the accident a few years back. Without her knowing, this class will help her break away from the fears that have been building up ever since that August three years ago. She makes new friends and learns to do things on her own without her parents watching her every move. Although the road to happiness is a bumpy one, she is on her way with the help of her sister and grandma...

I felt that this book was rather depressing up until the end, and because of that I felt it was hard to read. However, it is a short book and not too difficult. Jean Thesman, the author, does a good job of defining each character and the emotions they are feeling. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Skylar the whole storyline, because it seems as though a big rain cloud hangs over her all the time. Despite those things, the book does send a good message about life, loss and the meaning of friends. You'll find yourself flipping through the pages to find out what happens next and the huge event that changed everyone's lives.

"Sometimes there are no answers", the quote on the front cover of the book, does a perfect job of revealing how haunting and mystical this book really is.

You can't really understand..........2004-11-17

I really enjoyed this book. It was on a list of books about being a bereaved sibling, which I became 2 years ago. I can totally identify with her imagining that her sister was still there, because the pain of letting her go was too great. You can't really understand what Skylar has been through until you have experienced it.

A Soft-Reader.......2003-11-16

Calling the Swan was a soft-reader, meaning that basically, it has little content and "meat" to it. There are a few plot points, such as the family's overprotectiveness and Skylar adjusting to summer school, etc. Calling the Swan deserves 3 out of 5 stars because it has some very choppy writing and is agitating to the reader. However, there are some parts that are wonderfully written. If the entire story would have been like that, I would have given it a much higher rating.

I kept waiting and waiting for the big mystery to be resolved or at least talked about, but the author only gives you little-by-little; and it doesn't have the same effect as a mystery-novel or page-turning-suspense-thriller. It is an annoying, sort of relentless kind of nagging. It goes from telling bits and peices about the mystery to talking about a very easily-followed plot about Skylar adjusting to summer school.

There were several beautifully written parts, however. When the mystery is finally resolved, I liked how Thesman makes Skylar seem dilusional all this time. All of this time the reader believes that Alexandria actually is present in the novel; and all along it was Skyler's dilusions. That was my favorite part of the story. It is very touching in the scene when Skylar goes down to the lake and calls the swans and they remember her sister.

Sad Story.......2003-05-11

A Review by Roxanne

This book is about a girl named Skylar and her family. She is a 10th grader who has to take summer school at a school in a new area and new people. She is presently surprised when she gets along with the kids in her class. But in the end everything comes down to there secret.

The 3 things I didn't like about this book was it is slow moving, sometimes is hard to follow and it waited tell the very end to tell the main things u need to know to make the story all come together. For example they talk for chapters about how she is doing in summer school but only talks for a chapter about the main secret. As for the characters Skylar is a typical teenager. For her sister Alexandra they only tell little things about her but develop her as a character later in the story. Her grandmother I believe was the main character as well as Skylar she helped develop the story and she is an admirable character. Her parents are only mentioned a few times and aren't developed but as for her 3 year old brother Ben he was the center of the attention through the story and the story wouldn't be complete without him.

I would not recommend this book. It didn't keep my attention, the story line itself was boring and it was so slow moving .Teenagers who are interest in fast action packed books would not like this book but some adults who like sad books that turn out happy this is the book for them. I also think it gives the insight into a teenagers mind.

Sometimes there are no answers.......2002-10-06

Skylar Deacon has been watched carefully by her parents for the last three years. It is time for them to move on from the incident and let her grow up. She is attending summer school, and her family has to start letting their fears go.
The plot is realistic and the characters possess an intense amount of emotion. The book deals with a common, yet unfavorable issue that effects many families each year. It gives a better perspective of the different members of the family and how they must fight each day for strength even when something is threatening to tear them apart. This book teaches that it is necessary to focus on the future instead of holding on to the past. The secrets of the family slowly fall into place.

Average customer rating:

Calling the Swan
Jean Thesman
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ8HRA

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